Seven Class 10 students from a state-run residential school in Odisha’s Rayagada district were expelled after reportedly ragging and physically assaulting their juniors for coming back to the hostel late, authorities said on Thursday.
The assault took place on Sunday at a school run by the ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backwards Classes Welfare Department, according to officials.
The incident came to the fore on Tuesday when a video circulated on social media, allegedly depicting senior boarders beating junior students using a cricket bat, wooden sticks, and coconut fronds.
Following this, the school’s headmaster submitted lodged a complaint with the Chandili police station targeting the involved students, officials noted.
Amid widespread public anger and demonstrations by the victims’ families, school management expelled the seven boarders and issued their transfer certificates (TCs) on grounds of severe misconduct, stated District Welfare Officer Ashima Rao.
“We have taken such a strong action against the class 10 students because they were found involved in such activity in the past also,” she said.
Rao added that law enforcement would take further action based on the complaint lodged by the school authorities.
A departmental probe has been launched into the incident, and the Rayagada district authorities have served a show-cause notice to the school headmaster, a senior official said.
To rebuild trust among children and guardians while preventing any future occurrences, the school administration has decided to convene a parent-teacher meeting.
The residential campus houses over 200 enrolled students spanning grades 8 through 10.
